West Ham welcome Wolves to the London Stadium in what is a must-win game on Friday night and Nuno Espirito Santo has voiced concerns about his side in a message to players and fans.
The stakes have rarely been higher for West Ham in the Premier League era than when Wolverhampton Wanderers come to east London this week.
With seven games to go to save their top flight status, the Hammers know at least three or four wins will be needed.
Beating Wolves is a must and there is a huge carrot dangling over the game for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Nuno voices physical and mental fatigue fears for West Ham
Victory for West Ham at the London Stadium would see them climb out of the relegation zone, pushing Spurs down there instead.
That will pile pressure on Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge, away at Sunderland two days later.
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The Hammers must, of course, handle their own business first.
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But Nuno has voiced his West Ham fears ahead of the Wolves clash in a message to players and fans.
To stand any chance of pulling off a great escape, West Ham will need all their top players fit, fresh and firing for the run-in.
West Ham United players react after West Ham United v Leeds United - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
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Going to extra-time and suffering penalty shootout heartbreak in the FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds wasn’t the ideal preparation for West Ham to be raring to go against Wolves.
And Nuno has admitted he is worried about the physical and mental impact it will have on his players.
The Hammers boss has called on his stars to get over the disappointment fast while telling West Ham fans they have their own part to play in getting a crucial win.
Nuno issues rallying cry to West Ham players and fans
But he says he can only ‘try’ to help his players recover to put it all on the line again this Friday.
“It was a very emotional game from the beginning till the end,” Nuno told West Ham’s website.
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“For the boys, it’s sad, it’s sad, it’s sad for us, especially for our fans…
“We have a big, big mission on our hands (in the Premier League).
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Photo by Izzy Poles – AMA/Getty Images
“Now it’s time to recover. It’s 120 minutes, it’s tough. We’ll try to recover our players and play the game on Friday.
“Again, London Stadium is going to be so important for us. The atmosphere that we created today, we have to create it for the game, for the matches moving forward.
“We need it, we need it, we need it. We need all the players…
“We’re going to be ready for Wolves on Friday. Now it’s the moment to recover the legs, clear our minds.”
Worryingly, Nuno’s fears echo what pundit Jermaine Beckford noticed about West Ham’s players after their cup exit.
Beckford felt the Hammers players looked ‘drained’ and ‘dead on their feet’ after the Leeds defeat.
Hammers fans can only hope those players can refocus and re-energise for Wolves – and the supporters must do the same after generating a superb atmosphere in the cup loss.
Relegation run-in remaining fixtures:
Team Remaining fixtures (Opponent + H/A)
West Ham United Wolves (H), Crystal Palace (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle United (A) and Leeds United (H)
Nottingham Forest Aston Villa (H), Burnley (H), Sunderland (A), Chelsea (A), Newcastle United (H), Man United (A) and Bournemouth (H)
Tottenham Hotspur Sunderland (A), Brighton (H), Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds United (H), Chelsea (A) and Everton (H)
Leeds United Man United (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Burnley (H), Spurs (A), Brighton (H) and West Ham (A)
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